In 2005, WWF and IKEA set out to transform cotton production and secure a sustainable future for the industry by helping farmers earn a better living and improving working conditions, as well as reducing impacts from pesticide use and saving precious water resources.

From an initial effort involving 450 farmers in India and Pakistan - two of the world’s most important cotton-growing countries - WWF and IKEA helped to create the Better Cotton Initiative, an independent multi-stakeholder organisation whose members are committed to making Better Cotton a mainstream product.

The partnerhship provides support, training and outreach to farmers that want to produce Better Cotton. Some 43,000 farmers in India and Pakistan are involved in our joint projects, taking part in the global shift toward Better Cotton.

Building on our initial sucess, and starting with a focus on water management within cotton production in Pakistan and India - two areas with strong water risks and challenges - we are now working together to understand IKEA's water risks and what water stewardship means for the company more broadly.

Stories

IKEA and WWF – together we make a difference!

“We have chosen to partner with WWF to help us on our journey towards being People and Planet Positive”, says Simon Henzell-Thomas, Sustainability Policy Manager & Head of Stakeholder Engagement at Inter IKEA Group. “IKEA and WWF share objectives on the responsible and sustainable use of natural resources. WWF has deep expertise in the timber and cotton markets, both important raw materials for IKEA, which makes them a natural partner to help support and challenge us towards our ambitious sustainability goals.”

Better Cotton, Better Life

Umul Baneen is a hard-working woman from Maqboolabad, a rural town in the heart of Punjab in Pakistan’s cotton-growing region. I had the pleasure to meet her and her husband, and hear their story as part of my work as coordinator for WWF Pakistan's Sustainable Cotton Initiative. This work aims to improve lives and livelihoods of smallholders.

Sustainable Cotton Has a Demand Problem

International clothing brands and retailers have a crucial role to play in securing the future of the market for more sustainable cotton. Various types of sustainable cotton production — ‘organic,’ ‘Better Cotton’ and ‘fair trade’ — have grown enormously over the last five years and now make up over 10 percent of total global supply. As a result, buying more sustainable cotton has never been easier. And leading companies such as IKEA and H&M are showing it’s possible to use 100 percent more sustainable cotton in all their products.

IKEA has committed to offering its 600 million customers worldwide over 23 different seafood products certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) for wild-caught seafood, and by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) for farmed fish. This makes them the largest food service provider of responsibly-produced seafood globally.